Quiet Professionals, Noisy Machinery

When Guns are Outlawed, Only Outlaws will have Dogs

Dogs are wonderful, but their skill at risk management leaves much to be desired. If you don’t handle that responsibility for the animal, it can go pear-shaped for both of you.

Patricia Connors, 66, was pronounced dead at the scene after being struck on the M4 near Cardiff by a Ford Transit at around 6.15pm on Friday, officers said.

The great-grandmother, from Cardiff, was trying to rescue her dog on the busy road when both were hit and killed by a Ford Transit Van.

Her family released a statement saying they were “heartbroken” over her death.

We’re major league critter lovers around here — this is being typed with a lapful of warm Small Dog MkII — but ’tis a far, far, better thing to grieve for your dog than be grieved by the beast. (Even if the dog usually has the superior character, and even though in this case Mrs. Connors’s sacrifice did not succeed in saving the life of her presumed Best Friend).

The statement said: “The family of Patricia Joyce Connors are heartbroken trying to come to terms with a tragic accident that has taken a loving Mum, Grandmother and great-grandmother.”

South Wales Police believe she followed her dog after it ran into the road. The force appealed for witnesses to come forward.

The dog in question feels blamed unfairly, and asserts he was merely following the chicken.
He further notes that unlike his departed owner, he looked both ways before crossing.
And he’s sorry he didn’t get the plate number of the offending vehicle.

I’ve always felt an obligation towards my dogs, but I’m not entirely certain how far that would go, in the moment. I suppose that’s something you don’t know until it happens, and God willing, I’ll never have to make that split-second determination.

I know at least one of my dogs willingly put himself in between me and a fairly probable death, once upon a time. Would I do less, for his successors? I hope I never have to find out.

Dogs are not just animals; they’ve been our partners, our companions, and willing co-conspirators since we walked out of Africa lo these many years ago. Neanderthal man apparently did not have the benefit of a relationship with canines; likely, they were cat people. We can see how well they did, competing against our ancestors and their dogs–When, after all, was the last time you passed a full-blooded Neanderthaler on the street?

I think it’s likely that any outsider looking on at humanity since the dawn of time is likely to consider us as half of a partnership consisting of man and dog; without the dog, we would be a far less successful species, and diminished a great deal in many ways. In many ways, I wonder whether we’d even be considered the senior member of the firm–Certainly in terms of character and integrity, I think they’d prefer to be negotiating with them rather than the sneaky monkey half of things.

It’s kind of a sad commentary on things, but did anyone else notice that the pictures of that run-over dog from the Stockholm terrorist attack were perhaps the most anger-inducing part of the whole thing?

Of course, that may be because they had all the other bodies decently covered, and left that poor dog out in the open. You wonder what happened to the owner, who was presumably walking it.

Weird, that–I know that there were humans killed, kids even, but without seeing the actual bodies, that dog’s remains being left visible was rage-inducing evidence of the essential inhumanity of the perpetrator. At least, for me… Maybe I’m weird, that way.

That’s long been a primary argument of mine for the elimination of such creatures.

It’s long been an observation of mine that the two-legged vermin that dislike and abuse dogs and other animals are almost always sociopathic dangers to other human beings, as well. I honestly can’t think of a single case where my litmus test of “Is this asshole cruel towards dogs and other animals…?” has failed me. And, frankly, if I’m ever sitting on a jury for someone who has killed one of these things-that-walk-like-men, I’m probably going to vote to acquit.

I’ve never had a problem killing a domestic or other animal, when necessary and needful, but to take life for the sheer pleasure of it, and to be cruel about it, to boot? Yeah, don’t be real surprised if I’m not going to be at all sorry you expire under similar circumstances. And, do it to one of the animals I’m responsible for? You probably won’t like what happens after.

My ethic has always been that if you’re going to play god with another creature’s life, then do so only when absolutely necessary, and do not make their suffering any worse than it absolutely has to be.

Although, when it comes to other reasoning beings who make a deliberate choice to do evil and be cruel… Hmmm… You could probably argue me around to a bit of enhancement, in terms of inflicted suffering.

British Motorways (= Interstates, Autobahns, Autostrada, etc.) are indicated by M and a digit or two, I believe. There’s also As which are smaller than Ms if my memory serves. Haven’t been in Britain for a while.

According to lyricist James Weldon Johnson, it’s connected to the dumb bone.

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WeaponsMan is a blog about weapons. Primarily ground combat weapons, primarily small arms and man-portable crew-served weapons. The site owner is a former Special Forces weapons man (MOS 18B, before the 18 series, 11B with Skill Qualification Indicator of S), and you can expect any guest columnists to be similarly qualified.

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